Return To The Past
by MetalMouth1418
Summary: Emmett and Alice get the opportunity to go back to when Jasper and Rosalie were human. Emmett wants to save Rosalie from Royce like he couldn't before, and Alice wants to learn more about Jasper. They're shocked at all the things they find.
1. Chapter 1

**Authors Note- Okay, so this is my first story. It's very slow at the beginning- so slow you might even call it boring. I would love anyone's opinions as to how to make it better. But really folks, keep reading- and I bet you'll be addicted. :). Anyways, this story is called Return to the Past, and I enjoy writing it very much. It's told through the eyes of Emmett and Alice, who get the chance to see and exist with the human Jasper and Rosalie in their different worlds. They both tell the story of what happened to them, so when you see ****Emmett Cullen ****that means it's being told from Emmett's point of view. If you see ****Alice Cullen**** it's being told from Alice's. And obviously, it's also bold when Alice is having a vision. REVIEW, PEOPLE! -MadameXOX**

**Disclaimer- Thanks to Stephenie Meyer for letting me play in her world. I don't own anything. **

**Emmett Cullen**

"Emmett, I don't see why she matters. I don't see why you would even care to save her," Rosalie snapped.

I sighed. Rose was my everything, but man, can't you do anything without her getting mad or jealous?

Edward better not tell her I thought that. I'm already in it deep.

And for the _stupidest _reason pretty much ever.

This morning had started innocent enough. Rose chucked a hairbrush at my head for something I don't remember, and Edward got all prissy because I left my jacket on his piano, but all in all, it was a good morning. Until Alice had a vision.

We were all in the Volvo on our way to Forks High School. We loved Forks. It was a great cover, and because we'd only been here six months, we could stay here for at least a good couple more years.

But anyway, Alice totally flipped. Whatever she saw, it scared the crap out of her. Edward saw it inside of her head, and pulled to the side of the road in a maniac manner. I didn't appreciate all of that after my good morning. Edward slammed out of the car, and quietly explained that there was another vampire passing through Forks. She wasn't a vegetarian, and we were just a little paranoid.

I suggested we go and fight her, only to get hissed at by Rose.

Well, that started an elephant-sized fight, when I suggested that. We were all perched on the Volvo, arguing.

It was an odd argument-Alice and I wanted to find her. We thought it would be better if we explained that this territory was taken and she couldn't just strut about killing people. Jasper, Edward and Rosalie wanted to leave her alone.

Alice was pretty miffed that Jasper and Edward, her hubby and best friend, were siding against her. Rosalie was pretty miffed that I didn't agree with her.

But honestly, all we had to do was go find the vampire and explain!

It's always so boring, and finally the opportunity for a fight happens, and then nobody listens to me.

We could have a ton of fun even we didn't fight.

So we were sitting there on our butts, wasting time, when Alice got another vision. She said the vampire was dying of thirst, and writhing about on the ground. It must have looked pretty bad, because Alice took off, even though Jasper called after her to wait.

I was bored. And if Alice got to go, so did I. Edward gave me a dirty look, reading my thoughts, and I took off after Alice. Rose started yelling at me annoyed from the Volvo, but no one followed me. I followed Alice's scent.

We found the vampire wriggling and shrieking on the forest floor. I pretended I was Batman and threw the practically disabled vampire over my shoulder. Alice and I ran to the hospital through the woods, where Carlisle would have a blood bag or something for this chick.

A little while later, after the vampire had chokedly told us her name was Electra and was sucking down blood bags like she was an alcoholic in a bar, the others showed up. Rosalie went straight up to me and hit me in the arm, telling me we'd talk about it later. Oh brilliant. Now I got to get a four-hour chewing for saving someone's life. While Alice, on the other hand, was immediately forgiven by Jasper and she was animatedly giving him and Edward the low-down, playing out how I had sung the Batman theme song the whole way there. Lucky little psychic.

After the vampire was done drinking was the first time we got a look at her. She walked immediately straight to me and Alice, and thanked us for saving her. Her voice had shaken with gratitude.

To me, Electra looked exactly like someone with her name should look- like an electric current. she had thick bangs, with a bob to her chin of straight blonde hair that flew through the air like electricity. She was curvy, like Rosalie, but while Rosalie had a beautiful face, Electra didn't. Well, I can't say it wasn't beautiful- like any vampire, it was excruciatingly beautiful- but more terrifying. Her expression was cold, even while she was thanking us for her life. I remember how her eyes had moved around, examining us all. It was like she could see right through us. Through any mask of manners we had. Like she knew who had wanted to leave her to die, and who had wanted to save her. She nudged her body towards Alice and I, as though she felt more comfortable around us.

It had been really awkward, cause Rosalie is a little bit of a jealous person. So she was basically giving Electra her 'scary look' for gravitating towards me. It didn't bother bold Electra at all. Rosalie recoiled. I realized Electra scared Rose a little, but you know, she sort of deserved it. She _had_ spent the past thirty minutes explaining to the rest of us why we should leave Electra to die.

Electra really liked Alice, you could tell. She just favored me over the others, not necessarily liked me better. Alice insisted that Electra come to our house for the day, and play some chess with us. Electra warmly agreed to Alice's face, but Edward shook his head at me, telling me she didn't really want to.

A little while later when we were at home and Alice was giving Electra a tour, Edward pulled me aside. He told me he couldn't figure out Electra's thoughts. All he could get from her is she really, really hated him, Jasper, and Rosalie and really, really loved me and Alice. He also told me laughing that Rosalie was jealous as anything, and to sort of ignore Electra because Rose was seriously worried that when I'd saved Electra, I'd fallen for her and Alice had seen us together.

Rose pulled me outside to 'go for a walk'. I thought it was probably my death sentence, so I quickly told her I loved her, and would never leave her for Electra. I said a whole lot of other stuff too, but that's all I was keeping track of. Rosalie calmed down enough after that she could finally be mad at me.

"What was I supposed to do, Rosalie, let her die?" I said, miserably.

Then Electra came out of the shadows with Alice, who looked very confused.

"Emmett? Could I speak with you and Alice alone?" Electra said tentatively, quietly. Like she didn't want to stir Rose any more than she'd already been stirred.

**Alice Cullen**

"Sure," said Emmett agreeably. He was always so easy to get along with. But he probably just wanted to free himself from Rosalie's glare. Rosalie didn't like it when Emmett ignored what she wanted.

We went out far into the woods, and Electra stopped. The anger Electra was showing off before vanished. Like Emmett and I were old friends.

"I need to...talk to you two," she said, struggling for the right words.

I was excited before. I liked Electra. She just seemed really scared before. Now I was the one who was scared. My instincts told me Electra was bad. Dangerous, even. But I shoved out those thoughts- more than likely, she just wanted to depart quickly without seeming rude, and felt most comfortable with Emmett and me.

But still, she scared me. Everything about her was scary. The way she moved, the way she craned her neck at you, all did not seem friendly, and warning signals were buzzing.

Emmett didn't seem scared, but then again, Emmett is thoughtless. I tried to see what she would do, but I couldn't. It was like the decision hadn't been made yet.

"Totally," Emmett said in an easy manner.

"My coven is different than most." she said warily, still looking as though lost for words.

"So is ours," I said, putting on a fake smile. Curiosity burned through me. I wanted to know, who cared what my instincts were saying!

Electra looked tense. "Do you have contact with the Volturi?" she asked.

"Nope," I whispered.

She smiled, and relaxed. This struck me as odd. I didn't like the way she looked when she spoke of the Volturi.

"In my coven, we all have gifts. All eight of us," she said, and Emmett gasped at the number.

She smiled wider this time, more friendly. "You see why it's necessary the Volturi do not learn of us. One reason, anyway. They would want to destroy us, or make us one of them. Our gifts are all...odd. And very..." she struggled again with her words, as though she was afraid of telling us too much. "...different. Powerful."

I felt pity. The poor girl wasn't dangerous, she just didn't want us to be afraid of her! I knew the feeling, as did Edward. We had powerful gifts, too.

"Oh, don't worry about that! I can see the future! That's how I knew where you were," I said bubbling.

Electra gave me a lopsided, sad smile, like she thought I was confused. "That is a powerful gift, but it doesn't compare to ours." She craned her head apologetically at me.

"Oh," I said, confused. I had one of the most powerful gifts Carlisle had ever heard of. What gift was stronger, better than mine? You could practically see the wheels spinning in Emmett's head. He looked as confused as I felt.

"The others in my coven would not agree to what I want to do for you. But they do not know. You have done great for me, saved my life. The others of your coven wanted to let me die. Do not spare my feelings, I understand." she said, seeing Emmett's face fall, ashamed of Rosalie's sullen behavior.

"I know they will be angry with you for saving me. That's why I want to do this so badly. To show you that you did not do it for nothing!" Electra shouted the last bit, but I don't think she was talking to me or Emmett anymore, but to herself. Arguing with herself.

Emmett walked over, and put a huge arm around my shoulder. I guess I looked as frail and small as I felt. I didn't understand why I couldn't see what she was planning. I hated the blindness, the weakness!

Electra looked back at us. "Don't be afraid, small one." she said. I think I choked a response.

Emmett just stood there, like he didn't know what to think.

Electra looked at the trees surrounding us, and began to talk to herself.

"But wait, you could do it for thirty days...just thirty...yes, that might work. Of course, they couldn't change anything, just learn more...go back...say what they forgot to say to their mother, or whomever they choose." she muttered.

My fear was exchanged for curiosity. "Electra?" I called, stepping away from Emmett's arm.

She turned to us. "Oh, I'm so sorry, I know I've been a tad frightening, but honestly, I'm just..."she trailed off, into her thoughts. "Okay. This is what I am going to do for you. That is, if you choose to accept. It's not risky, but it could scare you. You would be able to communicate, but only to each other. Through cell phone. Each other will be your only contact, the only one you can call." She looked off again.

"Electra, I'm sorry, but I don't have a clue what you're talking about. Maybe I'm a little slow up here, but you're not making much sense to me right now." Emmett said, touching his temple, his voice shaking with wonder.

Electra sighed. "My gift is time travel. I can send people places for a period of time. I can send vampires back to being human for a little while. There is no one like me. I am an original. You can choose when and where you want to be, and I will send you there for a designated time. Then you will show up right back where you left, nothing changed." she said.

Emmett's eyes shone with excitement, and my heart raced. To go back to being human? To finally remember what it's like? All the stuff I missed? And then be able to go back to Jasper, like nothing happened? That's practically priceless!

"Right now? You can send us right now?" Emmett said in disbelief.

"Yes," she said.

Emmett did a little dance. I joined in, this was just too great!

"And I'll be able to call Alice on the phone? Whenever I want?" Emmett gasped.

"Yes, but," Electra's voice turned steely." If you are in an age where cell phones have not been invented yet, you MUST NOT use it in front of others. No one must know. This is merely a thank-you from me. My coven will be angry, but I see it necessary to thank you in a lasting way. Do not misuse your knowledge, and if you're unsure about something, simply do not risk it."

"Absolutely," Emmett said nodding. I got a little worried as to what would happen if we broke the rules. Emmett was sort of prone to rule breaking.

"All you have to do is live like you are a human, or whatever age you choose." she said.

"Wait," I said, regaining my voice back. "Where will we sleep, and who will give us food?" I asked.

"The same place and way you did when you were human." said Electra.

"I was in an asylum," I whispered.

Electra stared at me. "Don't worry, Alice. Just be specific with where you want to go. You don't have to go to the asylum. But that is where you will sleep at night, and get your food. Trust me, it all works out," she said.

I must have still looked confused, because she said, "Think of it as a search engine. I put in where you want to go, when, and if there's a specific thing you want to do, that makes it easier too."

"Well, awesome!" Emmett bounced. "I wanna go to when Rosalie was eighteen! I want to be eighteen, too. I want to meet her. And I want to meet her right before she meets Royce. I want to protect her, like I couldn't before," Emmett said, his voice filling with pain.

"Rosalie?" Electra said, confused.

"The blonde girl," Emmett explained. "She's my mate. I didn't know her as a human, and how cool would it be for me to save her, instead of the other way around!"

Seven of Emmett's words hit me. 'I didn't know her as a human' he'd said. I realized I knew NOTHING about Jasper when he was a human. Nothing at all! When I asked him about his past, he told me war stories, not stories of his real, human life. I discovered how interested I was.

Excitement brewed in my heart. I couldn't contain my excitement.

"Changing the past is dangerous, Emmett. You have to be careful. As long as you make sure everything works out, I see no problem with what you want." Electra said thoughtfully.

"And I," I said, clearing my voice to make it stronger, "want to be when Jasper's seventeen, just before he joins the war. I want to learn about his human life. And I don't want to be stuck in that asylum!"

Electra smiled and pulled two cell phones out of her pocket. She gave one to Emmett, and one to me.

"Look in the contacts," she said. We did. I found only one number. It was a very odd cell phone, very large and obnoxious.

Emmett gave a disgusted look when he saw it. "And that is the cell phone?" he asked.

"Yes," said Electra. "I know it's not easy to keep up with, but it's able to go through the different worlds, so no matter what century you're in, you'll be able to talk to each other."

Oh. I hadn't realized I would be in a different century than Emmett. This scared me a little. It scared Emmett too, he looked a little less comfortable now.

"Are you ready?" she asked.

"Wait, do you know enough of where to send us?" I asked.

"Yes, you've given me all I need to know." said Electra.

"You're not...like...playing a trick on us, are you?" asked Emmett warily.

Electra gave him a dirty look, and it silenced him.

"Take my hand." she instructed.

Emmett and I each took one of her hands. Terror rippled through me, but there was no going back now. Plus, I was a little excited about seeing Jasper as a human. Jasper, who could sleep, eat, cry, bleed. I was intrigued, and surprised at how little I knew about his human life.

The last thing I saw was a blinding flash of light, as I murmured 'Jasper, I love you'.

When I woke up, I was cold. And in darkness. Terror burned in my heart as I heard someone screaming. The fear was so deep, it hurt. I felt something square in my hand, and flipped it open. My mouth formed the words 'cell phone'. I went to the contacts and dialed the singular number as quickly as I could, but discovered as quickly as I could wasn't as quick as I remembered being. I didn't understand. I couldn't see, and I was scared. I felt something on my cheeks as the number rang. I was shocked. I couldn't believe it, I was crying. I'd never felt that before. I felt the lump in my throat- that had happened when I first found the Cullens, and they told Jasper and me we could stay. But no tears had come with it! I wished I could remember being human. Then maybe all this wouldn't seem so foreign to me!

"Hullo?" a terrified, deep voice that I knew so well answered. I am not ashamed to admit that the tears started coming faster, and the lump grew bigger.

"Emmett," I gasped.

"Alice," he whispered. "Alice, I hear my parents fighting downstairs. My REAL parents, not Carlisle and Esme!"

I could hear the pure horror in his voice.

"It's all dark here!" I sobbed. "I want hoooo-oooome! And Jasssper!"

A voice from outside the empty dark space I was in, someone screamed SHUT UP! at me.

"And I want Rosalie! This isn't what I signed up for!" he said painfully.

***"No, today. Sir, really. She's ready." A pale-faced man, who I immediately knew was not human, was saying to a man a huge, plushy red chair.**

**"I don't know, Nicholas. I mean, I know you have a special spot for Alice, but she's MENTALLY UNSTABLE. That's why she's here. She's sees the future, for crying out loud! I can't let her interact with other humans unless I'm positive she's ready." the man said.**

**"Sir, you have to trust me. Give her a chance. She's come a long way, and I sort of promised her that if she was good, she would be able to go to school with normal people." the vampire said.***

"Alice? Alice, are you there? Are you cutting out? ALICE!" Emmett's voice was frantic as I came back into reality.

"Emmett. I'm in the asylum. I'm in a cell," I whispered, realizing. Someone a ways down from my cell screamed.

After I got done talking to Emmett, I calmed down. I knew where I was. I knew Electra's power had worked. Only thirty days-surely I could handle thirty days. Emmett was calmer when we got done talking, too. He said his parents called up to him to come downstairs a minute. Emmett had put the phone down, and went. He was giddy when he got back. He said the year for him was 1933, and Rosalie should be eighteen, and that he was eighteen, too, just like Electra had promised. He also said his family had apparently just moved to South Carolina. Rosalie's hometown. Emmett was confident that Electra had fulfilled his wishes in the time travel, and he would meet Rosalie when he started school later that day. He told me it was midnight where he was. Emmett got tired, which he said freaked him out a little, and he went to bed, but would call me as soon as he woke up. I'd done a little bit of sleeping too, which was a an extremely odd experience, but I didn't get to enjoy it for long at a time, because someone outside my cell would scream every once and a while.

No wonder I had no memory of being human. There was nothing to remember. There were things I wasn't used to, and if I hadn't gone to high school with the other Cullens and been around humans, it would have been an extremely bad experience for me. I had to blink. I was tired, and felt worn. My skin was cold, and I felt it this time. And now, the most recent, my stomach beginning to rumble. A little sharp pain told me I was hungry, though I didn't want blood. I scoffed. I bet things were so much easier for Emmett! He remembered all the things he had to do- I didn't. I didn't even know some of the stuff. I felt an odd sensation in my stomach, and warm fluid gush out of me. I had no idea what it was, but it smelled strange, and I didn't touch it. I sat there.

I wasn't enjoying myself. I wasn't freaking anymore- I knew where I was, and that was enough for me. I knew how to contact Emmett. That didn't erase all the screaming down the hall, or the darkness that surrounded me. I didn't know how to get warm, and was uncomfortable with all the things that my body was doing. I had an idea, but that wasn't much. How I wished I'd asked Jasper to explain humanity. Or maybe Edward, if Jasper really didn't want to. That's what perhaps my interest was. What was it about being human that Jasper wouldn't talk about? All he'd explained to me is that he'd lied to the Confederate Army recruiters when he was sixteen, and became the youngest major in Texas. But why hadn't he explained anything else? Was it simply that he couldn't remember, or was there something else? Something...he didn't want me to know. If it was bad enough, Jasper wouldn't let Edward tell me, if Edward knew. Edward wouldn't tell me the details of Jasper's torture when he was with Maria, either. The heat from my anger at just thinking Maria's name got to me. I tried to think of what to do, and decided to try for some more sleep. If this dark place is what my next thirty days are going to be like, I...well, I had no idea.

**Emmett Cullen**

Beep, Beep. Beep, Beep. Be- CRASH!

My fist slammed the alarm clock against the wall, and it broke easily. I sighed, and yawning I started reaching for the little rectangle that was my cell phone. I needed to call Alice, it was my first thought. I was so frickin' tired. I wasn't used to this crap, I can assure you. I looked down defeatedly at my arm. It was no where near as big as it been when I was a vampire. Blech. I decided that was something I wouldn't share with Alice. I couldn't get used to the humanity in me. Alice had freaked a little more than I did. For a while there, she couldn't stop crying, and couldn't understand the feeling of crying, or anything. It right freaked me out, if you want to know the truth. I couldn't help but picture little Alice being hooked up to shock machine. That's why I felt the need to call her so bad.

"Emmett?" Alice chirped.

"Hey, Al, you sound better. Have you seen anything?" I asked, feeling immediate relief. If she'd been shocked, she would have sounded much worse.

"Yes. I keep seeing someone. A man. Well, a vampire. He's trying to convince a man to...let me out." she finished.

"Hmm. And you don't know who it is? At all? Maybe a friend of Carlisle's? Do you think things back home are really frozen in time?" I asked, throwing questions at her like bullets. I was still worried, even after our talk last night.

"EMMETT! DOWNSTAIRS! NOW!"

Uh oh. I knew that sound. I was in trouble...but what could I have possibly done?

Alice laughed.

"What?" I asked.

"You're in trouble for something you didn't do- apparently something the human you did do, but the vampire you, taking the human you's place, didn't."

I groaned. "Can you see what I did?" I asked.

"Yes," she snorted.

"Alice! Come on, what is it." I said, agitated.

"EMMETT, I'M NOT PLAYING!" My mother yelled again.

"Sounds like you have to go. Talk to you later!" Alice called cheerfully.

"Wai-" I began, but she was already gone. That little psychic brat. I grinned to myself, and dragged myself downstairs.

My younger brother Peter was crying...and he had no clothes but his underwear on...What on earth did I do? This was going to be bad, Peter was their favorite.

My father glared at me. He was big, like me, but unlike me, he hated fights. He was about to go off to work. He worked on the railroad-the fact came to me like a flash, I'd forgotten. My mother was stroking Peter's hair. My mother was sort of fat, but really pretty. Her blonde waves came down to her chin, and blue eyes were very easygoing. Both of my parents were, but usually not with me, I regrettably remembered.

The second I landed downstairs my mother was next to me, and smacked me hard across the face. It shouldn't have hurt, but it did. My head snapped back, and for a second I was blinded with pain. A simple smack shouldn't have hurt me like that. For a second I was confused. Then I felt something on my cheek. My first thought was, for the love of everything good in this country, am I really crying over a slap? I reached up to touch it, and brought my hand back down. I knew the red on my fingers only too well.

I wasn't crying, I was bleeding. ACTUAL BLOOD WAS COMING OUT OF ME. Well, that was enough for me. I actually screamed, and flew up the steps back to my room as quickly as I possibly could. And that was pretty darn quick, even if it wasn't near as fast I was when I was a vampire. I sank against the wall, breathing hard. I _bleed_. I BLEED. The cell phone rang- Alice. She must have seen me.

I snapped it open. "What?" I said, in a voice that I didn't recognize.

"I wasn't laughing about you getting smacked, you know," said Alice. "I didn't know that was going to happen, she just decided it randomly."

"Yeah, well, that's not really a big deal. But the fact that I'm bleeding is! Alice, I bleed...And I feel pain from simple things. I'm so...weak now..." I was whispered the last part.

"I know," she soothed. "Do you want to hear a funny story?" she said, her voice getting fakely cheery.

"Sure," I said, rolling my eyes.

"Well, I don't know much about humanity. And I especially don't know much..." She stopped, sighed, then resumed. "About the bathroom. So, for about three hours now, I've been sitting in wet, and not realizing what it is until just now. I can't believe I peed myself. Actually peed myself." Alice was giggling now.

I couldn't help it- I laughed. It was just too funny. Plus, there was no need to be upset. It was morning, and I started school today like my parents had told me last night. I would see Rosalie today. The real, human version, and nothing, not even blood, was going to take that joy away from me.

**Alice Cullen**

Emmett's freak out about the blood made me think. Maybe I could bleed too? Maybe the vampire I keep seeing in my visions will come, and I will get to watch him resist MY blood, instead of the other way around.

A snap on the door of my cell sent terror through my spine, and subconsciously grabbed the phone to call Emmett, though we'd just got done talking ten minutes ago. Another snap, but I couldn't force myself to dial the number. I'd heard about the shock treatments. I wasn't dense, and I knew from records that I received them. Routinely. Every ten days. My heart was beating loudly, I was sure the person opening the locks on my cell would hear it. The thick, thick, concrete door swung open, and there he was. Nicholas. The vampire in my visions. Why hadn't I seen him open the door?

"Oh, Alice. What is wrong? I told you that when you had to use the restroom to hold it until I checked on you." He looked embarrassed through his old, beautiful face, looking down at the wet on my gown.

He was old, and that's something you don't see often. I mean, old for a vampire, not necessarily old. Probably thirty-five. He had black hair parted on the side, and his red eyes glowed. How could he remain inconspicuous to the humans? It made no sense.

He sighed. "Now we will have to clean you up. I'm sorry I didn't think about you sooner. I should've known you would have visions of me talking to Mr. Vernon, and it would scare you." he said, misinterpreting the reasoning for the puddle I embarrassedly sat in. I couldn't bring myself to speak.

"This isn't the normal time for me to be checking you, I just randomly decided," he said gently, like he knew I didn't understand why I didn't see him checking on me.

All I could force out was a whimper.

"Come now, love. Are you afraid of school? Surely not. I convinced Mr. Vernon to let you go, but if you are uncomfortable with it-" he began, but I cut him off, speaking for the first time.

"What town are we in?" I said, voice sounding more frail than it was when I was a vampire.

He frowned. "Don't you remember our relocation last year, Alice? How I told you where we were even though I wasn't supposed to?"

I stared up at him, and shook my head.

"Oh. Well." Nicholas shut the heavy cell door. "You have a right to know, but the other workers don't agree with me. Of course they haven't agreed with a word I said ever since they realized I played favorites." he grinned knowingly at me.

I calmed. I was his favorite. Shock hit me. This was the vampire. The vampire who took me away when James smelled me and wanted to kill me. This was the vampire who changed me. The asylum worker.

He looked at me concerned.

"Alice, it's quite all right if you aren't ready to interact with humans. I just..." he looked sheepish. "I just want you to be able to get out of here. It's the law, they have to let you have as much schooling as possible, and if you're calm enough to go, you can attend the schoolroom. With supervision, of course." he said, pointing to himself.

"I want to know where we are, Nicholas," I said. His red eyes softened at the sound of his name on my voice.

"Alright, Alice. We're in Houston, Texas." he said.

My emotions changed at the sound of Texas. Excitement replaced worry. Joy replaced fear.

"Nicholas," I said, trying out my new weapon, and giving him the same heartbreaking look I'd used on Jasper many times. It never failed. "What year is it?"

He was disconcerted by my expression. "1861, dear. Now what is wrong, you must tell me." He said gently.

The excitement grew. I couldn't hold it in my voice. "And how old am I?" I asked.

He furrowed his eyebrows. "You're sixteen. But I thought you already knew all of this," he said, confused.

"Oh, I do. I do." I said, not meeting his eyes. "Oh yes, I'm most defidently ready for school. All I'm worried about is this dreadful white nightgown you have on me."

He smiled. "Good! I knew you were. And not to worry about the gown, my Alice. I've got a good one all ready for you. It was Mr. Vernon's daughter's, so you know it's in excellent fashion. Her name is Violet, and she's waiting for you in Mr. Vernon's office. She volunteered to help you get ready this morning, and escort you to school. She's been going there a year, so hopefully she will be able to help you where I cannot. Like, who to be friends with, and how to behave." He was brimming with excitement, but not nearly as much as I.


	2. Chapter 2

**Emmett Cullen**

Well, apparently, I'd dyed every piece of clothing Peter owned pink. I finally realized what Alice had been laughing about earlier. Yeah, I was in trouble. But not nearly as bad as I would've been if I hadn't flipped when my mother smacked me. Like I said, my father hated violence. Which was really a plus for me, I discovered when he came up to my room. He stood outside my door for a while, telling me it was okay, and he didn't want me to be afraid of him as he was of his own father. I let him in as soon as he was done, and allowed him to hug me. I didn't like the mushy stuff, so I sort of squirmed away as soon as I could. He then proceeded to lecture me instead. It was moments like those that I wished he'd just hit me and be done with it.

I need more time to get ready to see Rosalie. I knew Rosalie, I knew what she would want in a man.

I knew what she'd want me to wear, how she'd want me to behave, and treat her. But I'd had her from the moment she saved me from the grizzlies. A twinge of embarrassment passed through me. She saved me. But I could not save her. Well, I would this time. She was eighteen, and I don't care how, but I am going to make her fall in love with me. With ME, not Royce. She would never even be put in the place where she would have to choose between us. She wouldn't even meet him. I was sure of that. I was nervous, though. My human self wasn't rich. I couldn't give her what she thought Royce could. Those stupid Kings!

Man, couldn't my father leave? Rosalie was picky. I had to give the right first impression.

Maybe fifteen minutes later, I interrupted him, telling him I had to get ready for school. He'd been hesitant, like my mother would be disappointed that he hadn't punished me, but left anyway.

I called Alice immediately. She didn't pick up, for the first time. My first thought was she was finally getting shocked. But I put that out of my mind, and grinned to myself. The one time Alice doesn't pick up is the one time I have a fashion emergency. She would be so disappointed.

I rolled my eyes, and headed toward the closet and starting throwing everything I owned onto my bed. What would look enough like a Prince Charming in the 1930's? I didn't have anything that I saw that could compete with Royce's money. I sighed. It was going to be harder to get my Rosalie than I'd thought.

**Alice Cullen**

"Honestly, Alice. You look as though they've been starving you! I will have a word with my father about this," Violet said indignantly, as another one of her dresses was too big for me. And Violet was a very skinny girl.

Her name was Violet Vernon, as she'd politely introduced herself to me as when I walked into Mr. Vernon's office. On the way there, Nicholas had put me on a chain. He was very apologetic, but said it protocol, and he had to do it. Apparently, Mr. Vernon ran the asylum, and Nicholas couldn't ignore the rules around him or he would be fired. After I'd shook hands with Mr. Vernon, my bubbly personality gave me away. He loved me instantly, you could see it on his face. Violet loved me, too. Mr. Vernon said my chains could be removed, and told Violet to shower me and make me presentable for school immediately. He also told her in a more embarrassed tone to clean the accident out of my gown as well. My cheeks felt hot, another thing I didn't understand.

Mr. Vernon's office was beautiful, and he was clearly a rich man. Everything was plushy and comfortable looking, nothing hard. Nicholas and Mr. Vernon began to discuss Nicholas' boundaries of supervising me and what he was to do if something went out of control. I snorted to myself, knowing there was no way this was possible. I could easily keep my visions private at Forks High School.

Violet then pulled me through a door in the back of the office, and I entered her bedroom. I felt bad for her, having to live in the asylum. But that feeling stopped when I saw her room. It was every bit as beautiful as my room back at the Cullens had been. She pulled me to her own private bathroom, and helped me bathe and clean myself. This was 1861, I had to constantly remind myself, and showers were reserved for the very rich only. Fortunately for me, Violet was rich, and I enjoyed a much needed shower. Violet was shocked at how much I knew- she was under the impression I'd been in a cell all of my existence.

She was also shocked at my long hair. That, I admit, I was also shocked at. Violet said they usually cut our hair in here because of shock treatments- that something had to be connecting the beginning of our spine to the machine, and having short hair made it easier. I'd never known what I looked like as a human, and was surprised out of my mind when Violet let me look in her hand mirror. I looked almost as pale as I was when I was a vampire, and my deep brown eyes showed that I had been tortured. I was pretty. I would give myself that. But the disappointment of not being as beautiful as I was when I was a vampire showed- it wasn't strong, I wasn't like Rosalie, but I did feel a little twang. Violet thought I was disappointed in my pallid face, and quickly started heating up her rollers, telling me how beautiful my black hair would be in curls for my first day. I ran my fingers through my long, wet hair. It had split ends, it obviously had never been cut. So I asked Violet for scissors, and ignoring the shock on her face, snipped a few inches off so it was at the middle of my back. It looked much healthier then.

Then she pulled me naked into her room. She opened the huge, wooden doors of her closet and began throwing dresses at me to try on. I was so happy, trying on all these old-fashioned gowns. I giggled with Violet, my new friend. I liked her very much. I could never have done something like this with Rosalie, or Esme. It was almost like I enjoyed how little Violet knew me. She was wary of me at first, understanding that I was a patient, but when she saw I wasn't a nut job, she warmed up immediately. But other than my visions, she didn't know me- how I was a vampire- she treated me...like a human. And the most strange thing of all? I really liked it, being treated like a human.

**Emmett Cullen**

"Hey, are you the new man?" another eighteen year old boy slammed up next to my human muscles. I noticed how he used the word man instead of kid. I liked this dude already.

"Yeah." I said in a kind voice. "I'm Emmett Cul-McCarthy." I corrected. Wow. I had been really, really close to saying Emmett Cullen. Had it really been that long since I was Emmett McCarthy?

We were sitting in the schoolyard, waiting for school to start. I was pretty annoyed by the fact that we were in a one-room school again. I was sure that by the 1950's I was done with those for good, yet here I was again, waiting in the schoolyard. The boys were all wrestling about, and the girls were sitting on the grass talking with their friends. I was leaned up against the building. I wanted to join the wrestling. But I was a little nervous. Let me tell you, it's one thing to stroll up to a new school with intimidating Rosalie on your arm and Edward, Jasper, and Alice strutting next to you giving everyone glares to make sure no one talked to us, and going to a new school all alone. I didn't like it. Oh well, I reminded myself. You're only here to find Rosalie. Focus on the prize.

"Nice to meet ya, I'm Jack Miller. I assume you're my age?" asked Jack.

"Yeah, I'm your age. People here friendly?" I asked, grinning to myself and thinking about how much older I really was than Jack.

"Oh, yeah. And that's not the best part. The best part is down here in this part of South Carolina, is where the ladies are. The pretty girls. Cain't find em' no where else." Jack said. I noticed his accent. I know this is kind of a stereo-type, but Jack was pretty much the poster child for dumb hick.

"I bet." I said, thinking of Rosalie. I felt bad for being mean, and I regretted it. I was too used to being a jerk when the Cullens moved to new places, and wasn't accustomed to actually TRYING to make friends.

Jack looked at me, like he was waiting for me to say more. He realized I wasn't, and tried again to make conversation.

"Say, Emmett, do you want me to show you around the place? And I'm not talking about letting you know where the restrooms are, or any of that crap. I'm talking about breaking this place down for you. Who's who. Who to mess with, who to steer clear of. How about that?"

Interest spiked me for the first time since Jack said hello. Jack COULD break it down for me. If he did, it would make this way easier than it had to be. Jack could give me the low-down on Rosalie.

"Now you're talkin'," I said, grinning at him happily.

He seemed pleased that I was interested. "Alright. You see those boys over there, relaxing, trying to look cool?" he asked.

"Which group?" I asked, looking at the two groups of boys.

Jack rolled his eyes. "The ones who are actually looking cool," he said.

I laughed. "Okay, I see who you're talking about."

"Okay. They are our age, or maybe a little younger on account of we're kind of the oldest here. They are all in high school, and they are on the 'steer clear' list. I don't care if you want to hang with them, but don't go over there for a couple days, you don't want them to like, haze you or anything." Jack said. "The other group of boys are the younger boys and the losers. They're tryin' real hard to be cool like the other group, but it's just not working out for em'."

I nodded. I wasn't interested in the other boys. I wanted to know about Rosalie, and decided to prod him along.

"Now, someone's been bragging about these lovely South Carolina ladies, but I don't have the low-down on them yet," I said, trying to sound casual.

Jack grinned. "Oh yeah, them. Well, over there" he pointed towards a group of girls giggling by the school entrance. "the red head, with the curly hair, that's Daisy Miller. My little sister. I think she's the finest of them all." Jack said proudly.

I looked at Daisy, and decided maybe Jack didn't really know what he was talking about. I thought Daisy looked...well, to be honest, I thought she was dog ugly.

"Oh. Any others?" I said, hoping I didn't sound rude.

If it miffed Jack, he sure didn't show it. He just went rambling on, pointing out other women for me to look at that were actually our age. He never pointed to Rosalie, and I couldn't spot her, so I tuned him out. I wondered if my attitude toward Daisy hurt his feelings, or if he just didn't show it. I missed Edward. I sighed in defeat. I was sure I wouldn't miss Edward of all people. He sure was a pain in the butt when he was in your head, but if you wanted to know something, he was really handy.

"-And now we've come to our finale, folks, because the finale has just arrived." said Jack in a sports' announcer voice.

A black, expensive car screeched to a stop, and a man got out. He had thick blonde hair with a nice, even part on the right side. His suit was crisp and new. He walked with perfect posture to the back of the car, and opened the door.

It was around then that I realized Electra didn't do exactly as I told her. She sent me to when Rosalie was eighteen, alright. When Rosalie was eighteen and dating Royce King.

Rosalie stepped out of the car, there was no mistaking my angel. Her skin though, surprised me. It was tan with a flush on her cheeks from the pleasure of Royce driving her to school. Her eyes were a deep, clear blue and she was the most beautiful girl I'd ever seen. I wanted to run to her, and kiss her like we did when we were apart. Rosalie and I never hid our affection. We were very open, and it killed me to act as though I didn't know her. The man kissed her cheek. I realized I was looking into the face of my wife's murderer, and prayed with all my might I didn't go berserk.

**Alice Cullen**

"Oh, Alice, you're stunning!" Violet exclaimed.

I danced around. I felt stunning. In the end, we'd had to go and dig up one of Violet's sister's old dresses with the promise we would go shopping to get me something to wear this evening. I loved Violet, she was like the sister I never had. She completely understood my love for shopping.

The dress was...acceptable. It wasn't what I wanted to wear on my first day, but it would do. According to Violet, her sister didn't much care for fashion. It was autumn colors, orange and brown. It didn't have a hoop skirt, but Violet said no one wore hoop skirts to school. Violet had on a navy blue dress that I liked very much, but knew I could never fit in it.

My hair though, was beautiful. I was shocked beyond belief. My hair had always been short, but now it was curly and long. I wondered if this was how Rosalie felt all the time. I made a mental note to ask Jasper when I got home. It was tied half-up, half-down with a brown ribbon to go with the dress. Violet put a little lipstick on me, even. My skin was still pale, but there was nothing I could do about that. I looked over to my nightgown, and remembered shoving the cell phone in the pocket. Violet went to do her own lipstick, and I ran to the nightgown and grabbed the cell phone, shoving it in my corset. I loved my corset, and had always wanted to try one out.

*Nicholas came in the room. His eyes widened when he saw me.

"My Alice, you look more beautiful than I could have ever dreamed."he said, kissing my hand.*

I grinned. "Come in!" I called, before Nicholas could knock.

Nicholas came in the room, and his widened as I knew they would. I held out my hand.

"My Alice, you look more beautiful than I could have ever dreamed." he said, kissing my hand.

"Thank you, Nicholas," I said happily. I felt a buzz in my corset. I hoped no one noticed.

"I'm going to slip off to the bathroom, now." I said. I panicked a little. What if Emmett needed me? What if something happened to poor Emmett and I was off getting my hair in rollers? No, surely I would have seen it. But would I have? I wasn't watching out for his future at all. softie you'd ever meet. Something was definitely wrong.

"Emmett, I'm so sorry I missed your call, what's wrong?" I asked immediately.

I got a vision, and didn't need his explanation. "Oh Emmett! She's dating him!" I gasped.

"Yeah, she is." Emmett snarled. "I have to go. My school begins in two seconds, and I had a hard time hiding this honking piece of metal from Jack when it was singing the Rocky theme at me, so I'll call you after school, Alice. Good luck."

"I know, I saw your school beginning...I just wanted to check on you. And Emmett...if it makes you feel better, the teacher has you sit near Rosalie. I'll talk to you later. It will be okay." I said.

Emmett grunted, and there was silence. His words were innocent enough, but I knew it bothered him really badly that Royce had driven Rosalie to school. Emmett wasn't the smartest, but he wasn't dense and grew up not too much after Rosalie. He knew that meant Rosalie and Royce were serious.

"Alice? Do you need any help in there?" Violet called.

"No, thank you. I'm ready to go to school," I said, bounding out the bathroom.

Nicholas gave me a loving smile. "The car is out back." he said.

Violet took my hand, and we headed out back into Mr. Vernon's office.


	3. Chapter 3

**Emmett Cullen**

Well, I didn't attack Royce. Oh, I wanted to. I'd heard Rosalie's story a thousand times. Every time, I wanted to choke Royce to death and knew that if I ever got the chance, I'd do it. And that was just hearing the story. HEARING IT. There's no way to describe how it felt to LIVE IT. To stand by and watch it. I felt bad for being mean to Alice when she called. I knew she was trying to help, but I was doing all I could to not go and steal someone's vehicle and go after that creep- talking about it would only make the urge worse.

I think I was seriously frightening Jack. A lot of the time, I forget that my muscles are a little intimidating. And with my anger about Rosalie and Royce, I sort of ignored that little fact altogether. I bashed rocks against the wall of the school. His face was priceless, and if I weren't so upset, I'd have laughed.

Jack didn't see my anger at first- he just went ahead and told me not to get my hopes up about Rosalie, that she was taken by the richest guy in town, Royce King. Then naturally, the cell phone in my shirt pocket starts singing Eye of the Tiger. Jack was confused as heck, but I started mouthing the words,

acting like it was me singing. He actually believed me, being the total idiot that he is. I told Jack to excuse me for a moment, and around the corner to talk to Alice. When I got back, Jack told me I was a heck of a singer. That was one stupid dude, but hey, if it kept him from knowing about the cell phone, then props to him.

The bell rang, and we all walked in. Everyone sat down like they knew where they should go. I followed Jack til he sat down by his sister, and mouthed the words 'sorry, man'.

Oh, well, that was adding a decent twist to my day. I got to look like a retard who had no idea where to sit on top of everything else. Simply beautiful. I remembered what Alice said, about me sitting near Rosalie. She was sitting alone. Score. Then Rosalie saw me. She looked, then looked away, uninterested. That hurt maybe more than Royce kissing her cheek did.

When Electra first told Alice and me what she could do for us, I was excited, exhilarated. I had visions of me punching Royce in the face, and Rosalie behind me going 'My Hero!'. It was anything but that. I couldn't believe I was actually meeting the characters of Rosalie's story. I thought I would never, ever meet them. I'd imagined it, but that was so far from reality.

Lunch was miserable, as to be expected. I hung out with Jack. He's turning into a friend. How odd, a human friend. Man, I had to stop thinking like a vampire! I was silent most of the time, but Jack didn't really act like he cared. He just chattered on. By the way he talked, I think he wanted me to get together with his sister. The whole time though, I was debating with myself. Should I show interest in Rosalie or not? If I did, it wouldn't matter. I couldn't compete with Royce, but I could try. I could hurt myself time and time again trying to win her affection but never could. Rose wanted Prince Charming. I knew that. I knew that I wasn't. I knew it was obvious from the clothes I wore that I had nothing. I wasn't ugly, but I wasn't freakishly good-looking like I was when I was a vampire either. I tried to smile when Rosalie looked my way- Alice had been right, Miss Adams, a sweet and gentle woman who I liked already, had put me near Rosalie's seat.

I also knew if I didn't try, I would have to watch Royce hurt Rose, which I might not be able to handle. Plus, I would be so mad at myself later on. I'd wanted to do this for so long! It had never once occurred to me that she would choose Royce. Edward and Jasper say my problem is that I don't think things through well enough. Maybe they're right.

**Alice Cullen**

Worry was starting to hit me. Naturally, since it was 1861, we didn't have cars. I was in the back of the wagon with Violet, almost crazy by the slow pace. Where was my yellow porshe when I needed it? She sensed my worry, and squeezed my hand. If only she knew what I was really worrying about. Emmett's first day wasn't sounding so great. I was terrified something would happen to make mine horrible, too.

I thought of Jasper. I missed him. Maybe Jazz and I weren't as open with our relationship as Emmett and Rosalie, but that doesn't mean the love is any less strong. Not seeing Jasper's pale, beautiful features caused me anxiety. Around Jasper, if I got worried, or anything of the sort, he would immediately calm me. I didn't need to ask.

Sure, I'd had fun playing dress-up with Violet. I was more confident with a friend by my side. Even a friend who didn't know who I was, or why I was there. But dress-up was over, and it was back to the real world. Or, as real as 1861 could be to me.

There were so many things I didn't know, and Violet was trying to fill me in as best as she could on the wagon ride. Nicholas kept looking back at me, nervous. I knew it was his head on the line, but he didn't need to worry. I was good at keeping a cover at school. I sure had enough practice.

For the most part, I was ignoring Violet. But every once and a while, I would get a piece of what she was saying. She told me that every day, you got to school an HOUR early. This caught my attention.

"Are you serious, why?" I asked.

"No one makes us or anything. We get there to see the fights." she said excitedly.

"Oh really?" I said, giving Violet my whole attention. She seemed pleased that I finally acted interested in what she had to say.

"Oh yes. It's sort of amusing, really, but when I first moved here, and a girl told me about the fights, I thought there was no way I'd enjoy sword-fighting. I was so wrong! All those shirtless males are a delight," Violet said, snickering to me.

"Sword-fighting?" I said incredulously.

"Yes. It's a huge sport with the boys. Even the teacher comes in early to watch. They take sword-fighting real serious in Texas. The boys are all taught really young, and when they turn ten or so, they do the fights every morning. Each year, the five best boys in Houston go to this huge tournament thing in Dallas that every town in Texas is entered in. I'm proud to say Houston wins every single year. Dallas is close to getting us, but they can't. Because we have the Whitlocks." She grinned.

My voice was caught in my throats. 'Because we have the Whitlocks' was repeating itself over and over.

"Oh?" I said, my voice unnaturally high. "Who are the Whitlocks?"

I tried to sound innocent enough. It didn't work, because Nicholas glanced back at me with worry.

"It's a long story." Violet said, amused at my sudden interest.

I sat back in my seat and gave her a look. "It's a long drive."

She grinned. "True. Well, Mr. Whitlock, their father, was the best fighter in Texas. He knew what he was doing, unlike pretty much anyone else. His wife's brother was probably the second best. That's how Mr. and Mrs. Whitlock met. At a tournament where he and her brother were competing as partners. They won. It was just one of those first-sight things. They married not too long after. It seemed they were a perfect couple. The only thing that was wrong was that all her life, Mrs. Whitlock wanted a lot of kids. But her husband hated kids, and didn't think he could stand more than two. She begged him in every way she could, but he wouldn't budge. Finally, one night, when Mrs. Whitlock's brother was over for dinner, he put an idea in Mr. Whitlock's head. Mrs. Whitlock was really angry with him for it, but it was a way to get her as many kids as she wanted. The idea was that the girls would Mrs. Whitlock's responsibility entirely. But the boys would be their responsibility. Together they could train them to be soldiers and, of course, sword-fighters. The idea greatly appealed to Mr. Whitlock. He gave in.

"They had eight children. Every one of them was a boy. Mrs. Whitlock was so upset. But there was nothing she could do about it. She could have no more children, and it seemed like a boy was almost guaranteed. Her brother and husband were thrilled, though. They had eight little warriors to play with as they pleased. They live on a farm, so their plan was to make them work all day in the field, and mornings and nights they would be given sword-fighting lessons from the moment they could pick up a sword. Their plan worked. Their four oldest sons- Reese, Thomas, William, and James were prime examples. They were muscled quickly, and did amazing! Reese has a family of his own. Thomas, William, and James all went away to the Confederate Army. No doubt we'll win with them on our side. I've only been here a year, and haven't had the liberty of seeing any of those four fight. But I've seen the youngest four. And that's enough for me. Everyone says I got here just in time for the best. It's probably true, because the younger they are, the better they are. From what I've gathered from gossip, the reason for that is Reese passed on what he knew to Thomas. Thomas passed everything he knew plus what Reese knew to William. William passed what he knew and what Thomas and Reese knew to James. James to Sean, Sean to Bristol, Bristol to Spinner, and Spinner to Jasper. Jasper's by far the best. I hear he practices six hours a day though. They're all really popular, of course. You and I will only be in school with three of them- Bristol, Spinner, and Jasper. The rest have graduated. Bristol's nineteen, Spinner's eighteen, and Jasper is seventeen." Violet's voice was animated.

I was, you could say, in shock. Jasper was a sword-fighter? Of course it made a load of sense- he would be able to lie about his age to the army, and no one ever suspect because he was such a good fighter.

Violet's expression grew uncomfortable. "It's actually a really sad story, though. Their father, well their mother too, abuses them really badly. You never see one of them not covered in bruises. Especially Jasper. He's got it the worst."

**Emmett Cullen**

By the time Jack and I went back to class, I knew what I was going to do. Jack was still rambling on about the stupidest of stuff, obviously happy that he had a friend. I didn't hear a word. I just nodded when he looked at me.

I was going to go after Rosalie, hard. I had to. She was my wife- had been for a real long time, too. And I knew that if she was human, and saw me being attacked by a bear, she would go get a gun, and risk her life. I was going to beat Royce. I didn't care what I had to go through. But he wouldn't expect me. I'd sneak up on him like a cobra. I expected him, knew some of his moves from Rosalie's stories. There was no time to waste, though- who knew how close Rosalie was to death, and how long it would take for her to realize she loved me? I had thirty days- but how long did Rose have? I knew it wouldn't change anything. I would go back home in thirty days, and meet my vampire wife happily. But it wouldn't change the fact that here I was, with the chance...I had to know. I had to know that if I were an option, she would have chosen me over anyone. Human, or not. So on the way into the building, I leapt on my chance.

"Hey, I'm Emmett," I said, shoving Jack out of the way.

Poor Jack, he was beginning to wear a permanently confused look on his face. I thrust my hand out for Rose to shake.

Rose looked at me like I was a scorpion. "Hello, I'm Rosalie Hale," she said, and walked faster back to the schoolhouse where everyone was going in. Man. Did she have to be so mean?

I followed faster. She wasn't going to keep me away. "So, what are you going to do once school gets out?" I asked lamely.

She raised an eyebrow. "Go home."

We all sat in our seats, and I had to stop trying to get her to talk to me.

The bell rang for school to be over, and Rosalie went and got a large, expensive coat. She began walking down a path back to her house.

The way I saw it, I had two choices. Go back home to my mother where Dad wasn't home yet, or follow Rosalie. I chose the latter. I tried to keep it nonchalant, I didn't want her to think I was a stalker, or anything. She looked back at me. I looked away quickly, hoping she didn't notice me.

No such luck.

"Emmett?" She said, annoyed. "Do you live over this way?"

"Uh, yeah," I said.

Crap, I lived the opposite direction. I could almost hear Edward in my head. 'Really, Emmett, don't you think she's going to figure out you're lying? Why don't you ever think things through?'

"Well, actually..." I said, trying to think of something to say that might not look like I was lying, but would also allow me to follow Rose to and from school each day.

"Um, my little sister Alice lives near here, to be closer to our grandma, who is fading."

I would surely win World's Biggest Idiot award with that one.

She gave me a look. She didn't buy it for two seconds.

"So you're picking her up, are you?" said Rosalie, with her eyebrows raised. I smiled at her.

"Oh yeah. Um, she's very small, so I have to walk her home. She's a little paranoid. There's a lotta weirdos out there. Too many freaks and not enough circuses." I said, willing myself to shut up.

A smile flashed across her face, then disappeared as quickly as it came.

"I don't know about that. There are lots of good men out there," she said.

"Like your man, Royce," I said. Was I a glutton for punishment? Was I actually asking for pain?

She smiled. "Yes. Did that boy Jack tell you that?" she asked.

"Yeah. Um, Rosalie, I want to be fair to you. I think Royce is bad for you." I said.

Her mouth fell open with a little pop. Whatever she was expecting, it wasn't that. I started rambling before she could speak.

"No, no- just listen. I don't care how rich Royce is! The truth is that he's a creep! He's nuts, and I don't think it's safe to be around him." I said.

"Don't talk to me. You're the creep!" Rosalie snapped, and turned to her driveway. I sat there at her fence, waiting for her to come back and apologize, like she would have otherwise done. She never came.

**Alice Cullen**

The schoolhouse was beautiful. Green vines growing up the side. Old-fashioned, of course, but I loved it. But I most certainly didn't have the chance to appreciate it. The second the wagon stopped, Violet pulled me out and started dragging me across the lawn. Nicholas stood there in a very uncomfortable way, like he wasn't sure what his job was. Violet yelled at him to stay in the wagon until class started. He did, but you could tell he wasn't comfortable with me going anywhere without him.

I walked behind Violet. I was too shocked to do or say anything. In shock is the best way to describe the way I was. I should have been mad at Jasper for not telling me. I should have felt bad for him to have to endure that. Really, I was just surprised. After Violet had told me the Whitlock story, Nicholas had given her a really dirty look, and I just sat back in my seat, terrified. Violet got the hint, and stopped talking for the rest of the ride.

"Really, Alice. You are going to love this." said Violet excitedly, shoving her strawberry blonde hair out of her eyes, and pulling me along faster.

She led me past the schoolhouse into a huge clearing, but it was much more like a field. Kids of all sizes were sprawled out all over the grass in a circular pattern. Kids seemed to have certain spots- certain places that they sat every day. Some sat blankets down because of the morning dew. I tried to see where Violet and I would sit. But I couldn't- that was something else I'd realized about being human. I still had my visions, but I couldn't force them. They came randomly. And not as often. It bothered me more than it should.

I saw the boys as soon as we came around the back of the schoolhouse. Violet hadn't been exaggerating- they were all shirtless.

The boys were inside the circle of kids, like it was an arena or something. Some were stretching. Not every boy that went to school was in the arena, though. In fact, the majority were just watching. There seemed to be only boys of ages 15-20.

Violet pulled me to the ground near the front.

"Violet, how does it work?" I whispered. Everyone seemed to be whispering, no one was very loud.

"Well, depending on their age, they go into groups. The younger group goes first. They play from six o' clock to six thirty. The way they work is winner plays someone in the age group older than them who lost. Their group is made up of ages 10-14. I don't go for that. It's interesting, but there are hardly any injuries, and no one is really being serious. They are playing for fun. But the older group, ages 15-20, are serious. I do watch them. They get hurt a lot, but it sure is fun to watch. The older group works a little differently than the younger group. They play for an hour- six thirty to seven thirty. And if necessary, they go fifteen more minutes. That's usually their clean-up time, though. When they make the bleeding stop, and that sort. There they don't all play at the same time. Well, they do at first. To weed out who's good and who's bad. But that's quick-only a few rounds, until there are about six guys. The three Whitlocks, and three other lucky guys. And then they have to challenge each other. For example, if I were doing it, I'd say, Alan Brown, I challenge you. And then I'd fight Alan. If I lost, I'd leave the arena." whispered Violet.

I noticed how she flushed when she said Alan's name. I smiled at her.

"So is Alan Brown good?" I asked.

"Yes. He's very good. He's my boyfriend." she said happily.

"Where is he?" I said, looking through the boys. Jasper wasn't there. There were about fifteen boys in the arena.

"That's him- the brown-haired one." Violet said, pointing to a boy who wasn't stretching, just holding a sword nervously.

"Ah," I said.

Violet shushed me. "Hush, they are beginning."

"Where are the Whitlocks?" I whispered.

Violet stifled a giggle. "They think it's a waste of time to fight those without talent- they beat them too easily. I think it has more to do with the fact that the worse fighters don't want to fight them! But either way, they hang around the school until the bad fighters are out of the arena. It gives everyone more of a chance. The best part is the end, when they have to start challenging one another. Sometimes people make bets on who will win. Jasper is a no-brainer, though. No one even bothers to bet on his fights. He's always the last one standing." she quickly whispered. It all ran together, but I heard every word.

The boys partnered up. There were roughly eight partners. One second, everyone was shaking hands with each other. Next second, swords were flying.

I admit, in my fifty-odd years of existence, this was one of the coolest things I've ever seen. The way they moved looked choreographed, and they all clanged, and banged. They were rough. No one stuck a sword in the other's stomach, it was obvious they weren't playing to kill, but they sure would slice their opponent's skin the second they had the chance.

This went on for several minutes. Finally one boy, the boy Alan Brown was fighting, sank to the ground on his knees and dropped his sword. At first, I thought he'd been stabbed through the gut and panicked. But then I realized that was how you surrendered. Alan looked triumphant and smiled at Violet. She had a mini-heart attack.

Every few minutes, someone would surrender and go sit on the grass and their girlfriends would put white cloth around their cuts, telling them their opponent cheated. Sheesh. People in Texas really do take this seriously.

Finally, only three boys stood. Alan was one of the three.

"And there they are. The Whitlocks." Violet whispered.

I turned my head so quick I'm surprised I didn't snap my neck.

Three, beautiful blonde boys walked into the field. You could only see them from a distance. They came in closer, and entered the arena. They were all really tall, with blonde hair parted on the side that swept gracefully over their faces. The first one, and the tallest, wasn't Jasper. I'd know Jasper's face anywhere. His eyes were a deep blue, and it went well with the beautiful tan skin he had. Though he was the tallest, it was obvious he was very quiet. He looked a little uncomfortable with the attention.

"That's Bristol, the one you're staring at." Violet hissed in my ear.

Whoops. I didn't mean to stare at him.

"The one next to him is Spinner. With the green eyes." she whispered again.

Spinner eyes were a bright, bright green, and he had the same tan skin as Bristol. Bristol had a square-shaped face, though, while Spinner's was more long and hollow.

"And the shortest, behind Spinner and Bristol, is Jasper. He has the brown eyes."

Jasper was more beautiful than I expected him to be. His chocolate eyes were bright, and they glanced around, excitedly. I was used to the topaz color, and the brown made me do a double take. A few freckles were across his nose. It was cute, but I kept picturing him with the flawless pale he had as a vampire.

You could tell Jasper was in his element. He was tall, though not near as tall as Bristol. He twirled a sword in his hand, back and forth, using his wrist.

Unlike the other boys, the Whitlocks had shirts on. They were almost too at ease. They did this every single day, and knew they'd win already.

Jasper didn't even look in my direction. Or the direction of anyone.

"Let's start," Spinner said. Spinner seemed the most outgoing.

I really don't know what was wrong with me. Maybe my brain was remembering when Violet used the example of her fighting Alan. I don't know. I really have no explanation for my actions, other than I wanted Jasper to notice me. Maybe I thought he'd realize that he loved me. Either way, one second I was on the grass with Violet. The next, I was in the arena.

I have never been given such strange looks in my life as the kids that sat on the grass, including Violet, saw me enter the arena. And being a Cullen, you got some pretty strange looks. I danced right in the group of boys. I looked back at Violet. Her mouth was open in horror. I could tell she was thinking that this was some sort of mental patient breakdown, and she should have brought Nicholas.

My mouth opened for me. "I challenge Jasper Whitlock." I said.

Seven pairs of eyes looked at me like I was nuts. Oh no. Have I lost my mind?

Apparently Spinner was thinking the same thing, because just when I thought that he said, "Have you lost your mind?" with a deep southern accent.

Oh, I liked the accent. Violet didn't have one because she didn't grow up here.

Bristol smacked Spinner in the arm. "She's a lady, you can't just tell her she's lost her mind," he hissed.

"Bristol, she wants to fight Jasper! What was I supposed to say, 'sure thing'?" Spinner snapped.

Bristol sighed. "Ma'am, my apologies. I didn't get your name." he said politely to me.

"Alice Cullen," I said.

He held out his hand. "Bristol Whitlock. Now, you want to fight with us?" he asked gently.

I blushed. Bristol was very attractive. I then got onto myself for being attracted to Jasper's brother. Ew.

"Yes, I do want to fight. I don't have a sword, though."

Jasper held out his hand. "I'm Jasper Whitlock, but I guess you already knew that, as you want to fight me. Um, I hate to tell ya, Miss Alice, but I can't fight a lady." he said. "I would accidentally hurt you."

I shook his hand. "Then you have to surrender," I said. Once again, my mouth deciding, not my me.

I was beginning to hate myself. The crowd looked very confused.

A flicker of annoyance crossed Jasper's face. His smile melted.

Spinner burst into a grin, and Bristol bit his lip.

"Come on now, Jazzy, you either fight her or SURRENDER." Spinner said, saying surrender like a death sentence that he was very happy about.

Jasper glared bullets at Spinner. And Bristol. And anyone else who looked at him. Oh, very smooth, Alice. Make sure the first thing you do is make him angry.

He pressed his lips tight together and tossed his sword on the ground. He reluctantly went to his knees in defeat.

I heard a deafening roar behind me. The crowd was clapping and cheering. I'd beat the unbeatable. Without doing anything.


End file.
